- 470
Henri Matisse
Estimate
50,000 - 70,000 GBP
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Description
- Henri Matisse
- Portrait de femme
- signed HM (lower right); signed Henri Matisse on the justification page of the portfolio Dessins: Thèmes et variations
- pen and ink on paper
- 32.9 by 25.4cm., 13 by 10in.
Provenance
Sale: Loudmer, Paris, 17th June 1996, lot 31
Acquired by the present owner on 12th April 2002
Acquired by the present owner on 12th April 2002
Condition
Executed on cream wove paper, on the frontispiece of 'Thèmes et Variations', not laid down and t-hinged to the mount along the upper edge. There is some very light mount-staining to the lower and right edges and some very fine creases in places along the edges. There is a tiny pin-sized spot of foxing towards the centre of the right edge. This work is in overall very good condition.
On the verso, the Justification de Tirage describes the edition; this folio is from exemplaire no. 9 and is signed again in ink Henri Matisse. The ink line is strong.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."
Catalogue Note
The present work was part of number nine of the first ten luxury editions of Henri Matisse's portfolio Dessins: Thèmes et Variations. The artist spent the early 1940s almost exclusively on the creation of this monumental series of charcoal, ink and pencil drawings from which he hand-selected a number of images to be published in 1943 in an impressive portfolio entitled Dessins: Thèmes et Variations, with a preface by Louis Aragon. Confined to his bed for many of his waking hours following two operations, drawing had, for obvious reasons, become increasingly paramount to Matisse as a means of expression.
In his retrospective tome John Elderfield describes the composition of this group: 'it comprises seventeen groups of freely executed pen or pencil "variations" on a figural or still-life subject announced by a "theme" drawing, usually in charcoal' (John Elderfield, Henri Matisse: A Retrospective, London, 1992, p. 365). Each of the groups were ascribed a letter from A to P and the 'theme' drawing was numbered 1.
Matisse would then explore his 'theme' drawing through a series of variations executed in a more spontaneous spirit, the compositions reduced to fine pen or pencil lines.
In his retrospective tome John Elderfield describes the composition of this group: 'it comprises seventeen groups of freely executed pen or pencil "variations" on a figural or still-life subject announced by a "theme" drawing, usually in charcoal' (John Elderfield, Henri Matisse: A Retrospective, London, 1992, p. 365). Each of the groups were ascribed a letter from A to P and the 'theme' drawing was numbered 1.
Matisse would then explore his 'theme' drawing through a series of variations executed in a more spontaneous spirit, the compositions reduced to fine pen or pencil lines.